Every year on The Daily Constitutional, as the high season for visitors to London hots up, I spend August sharing a few archive posts. This year I'm reposting recommendations from our If You Do One Other Thing In London slot (a regular feature of our Saturday London Spy posts) and updated posts from the Best Museums In London series, in which the London Walks guides shared their best London museum tips.
If theres' a London Walks tour starting or ending nearby I'll add the details at the bottom of each post and I hope you find them helpful over the course of the summer.
Keep in touch - I'm not going into hiding! - I'll be posting throughout August and, of course, I'll see many of you "out there" on London Walks tours. All of our regular features – and some new ones, too – will return in September.
A.S-G London, August 2016
I always recommend the Cafe in the Crypt at St Martin-in-the-Fields for a great (and well-priced) bite to eat. From time-to-time I'll point you in the direction of a concert at that self-same church. But a recent trip to Trafalgar Square brought childhood memories flooding back when I tried a spot of brass rubbing. Here's what the St Martin's website has to say on the topic:
"Brass rubbing in London and throughout the UK was a fashionable Victorian pastime that continues to be popular today.
Visitors to churches wanted to take home a memento of their experience. Brass rubbing was their inspired solution.
With some paper and a waxy crayon, visitors could trace over the brass monuments that were marking burial places and decorating the church. Eventually this ‘rubbing of brasses’ caused damage but the desire to mark a visit in a creative way was more popular than ever. The dilemma was solved by creating sets of replica brasses to carry on the tradition without causing any damage to the fabric of the original monuments or stonework.
Brass rubbing at St Martin’s is fun for all ages. Our collection of over 100 replica brasses from churches and cathedrals across the UK includes medieval knights in armour, fire-breathing dragons and the bejeweled ladies in waiting of rescue. Or be inspired by people like St George and William Shakespeare.
Once you have made your selection our team is on hand to provide specialist paper, a choice of metallic waxes and to show you how it is done. Then it is up to you to get creative.
Prices for brass rubbing start at £4.50"
St Martin-in-the-Fields Trafalgar Square London WC2N 4JJ
http://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/
St Martin-in-the-Fields is also a great place to pick up your copy of the Famous White Leaflet listing all the London Walks for Summer 2016. David has already started work on the winter 2016/17 version!
A London Walk costs £10 – £8 concession.
Accompanied children under 15 go FREE.
To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.
